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Reports Snowden seeking political asylum in Russia

Jane CowanUpdated
Tue 2 Jul 2013, 8:33 AM AEST

Edward Snowden has reportedly applied for political asylum in Russia. Russia's president Vladimir Putin says the former US spy agency contractor will have to stop leaking US secrets if he wants to stay. The United States government is confirming nothing.

Transcript

TONY EASTLEY: Leaker, whistleblower and US fugitive Edward Snowden has reportedly applied for political asylum in Russia.

Russia's president Vladimir Putin says the former US spy agency contractor will have to stop leaking US secrets if he wants to stay.

North America correspondent Jane Cowan reports.

JANE COWAN: The United States government is confirming nothing and there have been conflicting reports out of Russia.

But according to the Interfax news agency, Edward Snowden's request for asylum was handed to a consular official at Moscow airport by Sarah Harrison, the member of the WikiLeaks legal team who's acting as the American's representative.

Citing an unidentified foreign ministry official, the LA Times reported Edward Snowden had met Russian diplomats and given them a list of 15 countries where he wished to apply for asylum.

The Kremlin said nothing, but earlier the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, voiced solidarity with the US, insisting his security agencies hadn't contacted Edward Snowden, but reiterating he had no intention of handing the American over.

(Sound of Vladimir Putin speaking)

"If he wants to stay here, there's one condition", said Vladimir Putin. "He must stop his work aimed at harming our American partners, as strange as that sounds coming from my lips."

Earlier still, in Tanzania, the US president said Washington and Moscow had held "high level" discussions about Mr Snowden.

And Barack Obama tried to smooth European feathers ruffled after the former National Security Agency contractor's latest leaks were published in a German magazine, suggesting the NSA had tapped communications at EU offices in Washington, Brussels and at the United Nations.

BARACK OBAMA: Every intelligence service, not just ours, but every European intelligence service, every Asian intelligence service, wherever there's an intelligence service, here's one thing that they're going to be doing; they're going to be trying to understand the world better and what's going on in world capitals around the world, from sources that aren't available through the New York Times or NBC News.

That's how intelligence services operate.

JANE COWAN: According the latest leaks published in Germany, the NSA taps half a billion phone calls, emails and text messages there in a typical month, much more than in any other European country.

BARACK OBAMA: I'm the end user of this kind of intelligence and, if I want to know what chancellor Merkel is thinking, I will call Chancellor Merkel. And if I want to know what David Cameron's thinking, I call David Cameron.

JANE COWAN: The European Union has demanded an explanation and Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, says if proven, the allegations set back the relationship.

STEFFEN SEIBERT (translation): We must say very clearly that eavesdropping on friends is unacceptable; it is a no go. We're not in the Cold War anymore.

JANE COWAN: As Edward Snowden's options narrow, he's broken his silence for the first time since fleeing to Moscow eight days ago, to say he remains free to make new disclosures. In a letter to Ecuador, he accuses the US of illegally persecuting him for an act, he says, serves the public interest.

He says the public has cried out in support of him, while his own government has pursued what he calls an "extra-judicial manhunt". He thanks Ecuador for helping him get to Russia and for examining his asylum request.

In Washington, the US State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell, rejected the idea put forward by the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, that Mr Snowden's been marooned at the Moscow airport.

PATRICK VENTRELL: He enjoys the rights and responsibilities of any US citizen, including the right to a free and fair trial under our constitution.

REPORTER: You're ready to welcome him back with, instead of open arms, it'll be with open handcuffs?

PATRICK VENTRELL: He has a country to return to, which is the United States of America.

JANE COWAN: Ecuador hasn't entirely closed the door on Edward Snowden, but president Rafael Correa is increasingly coy about offering him shelter.